Percentage of People with and without Disabilities That Are Unemployed, Age 18 to 64, 2016

Individuals who are unemployed include those people age 18 to 64 who are in the labor force, and are not currently employed. This figure does not include, for example, people who are retired, students who are not seeking employment, and any individual who has not actively looked for paid work within the past 4 weeks. The unemployment rate is often used to describe the economy, and can suggest how hard it might be to find a job (this is also referred to as how tight the labor market is). We identified and compared the percentage of people age 18 to 64 with and without disabilities living in the community who are unemployed. This measure allows us to see that the percentage of people without disabilities who are unemployed (US average is 5.5% with a range of 2.1% in North Dakota to 7.1% in Nevada) is not dramatically different from the percentage of people with disabilities who are unemployed (US average is 6.4% with a range of 3.7% in North Dakota to 9.7% in the District of Columbia). The reason this percentage is not so different between the two groups is because many people with disabilities are not in the labor force, either because of their participation in government training or benefit programs or because they are discouraged workers experiencing long-term unemployment.

Roll over or click a state or city to view state or city data. Click a state to view city data

With a Disability That Are UnemployedThis is the first of two color coded maps of the United States. States have been grouped into four quartile ranges. The first quartile ranges from 2.1% to 5.0% and includes the states Arkansas, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota & West Virginia. The second quartile ranges from 5.1% to 5.7% and includes the states Alabama, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire & Tennessee. The third quartile ranges from 5.8% to 6.3% and includes the states Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin & Wyoming. The fourth quartile ranges from 6.4% to 9.7% and includes the states Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington DC, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, United States, Vermont & Washington. With a Disability That Are UnemployedAKALARAZCACOCTDCDEFLGAHIIAIDILINKSKYLAMAMDMEMIMNMOMSMTNCNDNENHNJNMNVNYOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVAVTWAWIWVWYAlbuquerque 7.7Anchorage 7.4Asheville 7.0Austin 6.7Baltimore 9.3Baton Rouge 8.1Birmingham 7.7Boise 6.4Chicago 8.4Columbia 7.2Columbus 6.4Denver 5.4Detroit 9.0Fresno 9.0Gastonia 6.1Greensboro 6.7Houston 6.9Indianapolis 7.7Lansing 8.2Las Vegas 9.2Little Rock 6.6Memphis 7.3Milwaukee 7.2Milwaukee 7.2Minneapolis 8.8Missoula 7.1Montgomery 5.7Nashville 6.0New Orleans 7.6Oakland 7.5Phoenix 6.6Pittsburgh 8.5Portland 7.8Raleigh 8.9Richmond 7.5Riverside 6.1Sacramento 7.9Salt Lake City 8.0San Francisco 5.5Santa Barbara 7.1Seattle 7.1Spokane 5.4St. Petersburg 6.4Tacoma 6.0Tampa 7.5Tucson 7.4Tulsa 7.2Washington 9.7Without a Disability That Are UnemployedThis is the second of two color coded maps of the United States. States have been grouped into four quartile ranges. The first quartile ranges from 2.1% to 5.0% and includes the states Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin & Wyoming. The second quartile ranges from 5.1% to 5.7% and includes the states Arizona, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, United States & West Virginia. The third quartile ranges from 5.8% to 6.3% and includes the states Alaska, Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island & South Carolina. The fourth quartile ranges from 6.4% to 9.7% and includes the states California, Washington DC, Mississippi & Nevada. Without a Disability That Are UnemployedAKALARAZCACOCTDCDEFLGAHIIAIDILINKSKYLAMAMDMEMIMNMOMSMTNCNDNENHNJNMNVNYOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVAVTWAWIWVWYAlbuquerque 7.7Anchorage 7.4Asheville 7.0Austin 6.7Baltimore 9.3Baton Rouge 8.1Birmingham 7.7Boise 6.4Chicago 8.4Columbia 7.2Columbus 6.4Denver 5.4Detroit 9.0Fresno 9.0Gastonia 6.1Greensboro 6.7Houston 6.9Indianapolis 7.7Lansing 8.2Las Vegas 9.2Little Rock 6.6Memphis 7.3Milwaukee 7.2Milwaukee 7.2Minneapolis 8.8Missoula 7.1Montgomery 5.7Nashville 6.0New Orleans 7.6Oakland 7.5Phoenix 6.6Pittsburgh 8.5Portland 7.8Raleigh 8.9Richmond 7.5Riverside 6.1Sacramento 7.9Salt Lake City 8.0San Francisco 5.5Santa Barbara 7.1Seattle 7.1Spokane 5.4St. Petersburg 6.4Tacoma 6.0Tampa 7.5Tucson 7.4Tulsa 7.2Washington 9.7

N/A

2.1% to 5.0%

5.1% to 5.7%

5.8% to 6.3%

6.4% to 9.7%

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Data source. 2016, American Community Survey (ACS), 5 year Estimates. Table C18120, employment by disability statusCalculation. Number in each group (people with disabilities or people without disabilities) who are currently unemployed but are actively looking for work divided by the total number of persons in the labor force for each groupNote. Number in each group (people with disabilities or people without disabilities) who are currently unemployed but are actively looking for work divided by the total number of persons in the labor force for each group

Percentage of People with and without Disabilities That Are Unemployed, Age 18 to 64 by region

Click on a state to view city data.

Percentage of People with and without Disabilities That Are Unemployed, Age 18 to 64 by Region. Click on a state to view city data, where available.

The ADA Participation Action Consortium is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) (90DP0026 and 90DPAD0001). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this website do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.